Baka mo Ichigei
by Jaela-chan
Summary: Nakatsu is silly, flighty, nervous, simpleminded and noisy... but even an idiot has one talent, right? Nakatsu x Mizuki oneshot.


"Mizuki!" The voice was familiar, but who was it? Ashiya Mizuki racked her brain for the face that matched that high, clear tone.

"Oh, Rio!" Mizuki turned to face the lovely, long-haired sophomore whose face was shining, as usual. "Long time no see!"

"I know, right?" Rio tossed her head to the side in emphasis. "Hey, Mizuki. Are you any good at cooking?" As was the tendency of everyone in the Umeda family, Rio got straight to the point.

"Uhmm…" Mizuki chewed on her thumbnail idly. "I guess I'm not bad at it. I usually just make things from a package, though." She grinned apologetically and rubbed at the back of her head.

Rio considered her for a moment. "Well, that's better than nothing, I suppose."

"Better than…?" If she had been a bit less naïve, Mizuki might have seen what she was being dragged into at that moment.

--------------------

The following evening, Mizuki glanced out the window to see that, though the days were getting longer, the sun was already sinking. With a sigh, she slid to the ground and glanced dispiritedly at the filthy apron she was wearing. Not only was the apron littered with confectioner's sugar and bits of chocolate and almond bark, but it was on her face and in her hair and under her fingernails.

"Rio…" she muttered, her voice wavering pathetically, "are we _done_ yet?"

The cheery girl was still in high spirits. "Oh, nearly! Come on, the next bit is the fun part."

With the rest of the strength in her body, Mizuki stumbled to her feet again and let her eyes wander over the massive mess displayed across the kitchen counter. The afternoon before, she had agreed to help Rio with her Valentine's Day chocolates. The invitation had seemed harmless, but…

"I never thought it would be this much work…"

"I don't really think it's that hard," Rio mused, licking chocolate off of her hand. "Just look at how much we made! There'll be plenty for you to give to your friends, too, Mizuki!"

Cheered by this proposition, Mizuki eagerly assisted Rio in putting the finishing touches on the little candies.

----------------------

Sano rested his forehead in his hand, his expression a sharp grimace. "How… many…?" He forced out through gritted teeth.

"Huh?" Mizuki was genuinely puzzled. All she could think was that Sano reacted so oddly sometimes. She still held out the little package containing the chocolates with both hands, but Sano didn't look ready to accept them.

"How many guys have you given chocolates to so far?"

"Oh, let's see…" She counted on her fingers. "Well, I gave them to Nakatsu. Noe, Sekime, and Kayashima, too… oh, and Nakao. And I was going to give some to Umeda-Sensei, but he wasn't in his office, so I just left them on his desk. That's five, I think." She'd lost track."

"It's six," Sano muttered under his breath. He looked as though he was in pain.

"Oh, right. Six." Mizuki paused. "Is something wrong?"

Finally, he looked up, but continued to massage his forehead with one hand.

"You know, Mizuki… I don't know how you do things in America, but here, giving chocolates on Valentine's Day is kind of… a girl thing. For a guy to give chocolates to other guys… it's kind of weird."

Mizuki's eyes widened. "Oh, is that so?"

_Oops._

_----------------------_

One month later, Mizuki was nibbling on melon bread in the school courtyard. Her thoughts were wandering like window shoppers from one thing to the next. For a moment, she was back in America. The noisy cafeteria felt so familiar that she forgot how distant it was until something heavy fell on her shoulder. Startled, she followed the arm that rested there up to meet the eyes of her grinning bleached-haired friend.

"Nakatsu!" He took in her eyes, so full of life. That energy was exactly what Nakatsu loved about Mizuki.

"Yo," he answered, an attempt at a casual tone coming out forced and shaky. He made a hesitant sound in the back of his throat, but ultimately ended up closing his mouth, a puzzled look dominating his countenance.

"What's up?" Mizuki asked tentatively.

Nakatsu took in a deep breath. He would just have to come out and say it. It would ruin his confidence to think about it too much. Just like the first time he admitted his feelings for Mizuki aloud, he's have to say it. And he'd have to hurry, before he changed his mind.

"About last month!" That was a start, at least.

"Last… month?" Mizuki's gaze drifted upwards as she tried to remember what he might be talking about.

"The… ch… The ch—!" He shook his head in frustration. "About the chocolates. I wanted to say… thank you."

How puzzling, Mizuki thought, for this to come up a month later. He'd already thanked her when she gave them to him, with tears in his eyes and a hand clasped over his chest. Why now…? It was just another Japanese custom she'd have to ask Sano about later. All the same, she smiled at him. It was surely her own shortcoming that was causing the confusion. She could tell from his shivering posture that this was taking a lot of courage on Nakatsu's part, and she had better acknowledge him.

"Oh, it was nothing. I'm glad you enjoyed them." Her head slanted to the side as she displayed a heart-meltingly girlish smile.

Nakatsu squeezed his eyes shut, but only for a moment. _When I open my eyes,_ he promised himself silently, _I'm going to forget all of this nervous energy. It's not good for my health! I'm going to finish this and go on my way. I can do this. I'll just give it to him._

He slid his hand into his pocket and opened his eyes. One hand reached out for Mizuki's hand and grasped it with a gentle firmness. The other found the small object buried in his pocket and drew it out with a flourish. His eyes never left Mizuki's slender fingers. His mind was fixed on the softness of that pale skin. With both hands now, he wrapped the dazzlingly white ribbon around that slender wrist and tied in a neat bow. He'd been practicing that bow for weeks. That perfect little bow was positioned in the center of Mizuki's wrist like something out of a dream; indeed, Nakatsu had seen such a vision in a dream more than once.

"This is…" Mizuki's soft voice came out an octave higher than usual. In her lack of understanding, she was still touched. She had never seen such a precise skill, such a determined gentleness from Nakatsu. The ribbon was something simple and beautiful.

For a moment before his confidence began to fail him, Nakatsu was at peace. This moment he'd fretted over and played again and again in his mind was finally done. When the butterflies in his stomach began to dance again, his face grew hot and he knew he'd have to leave Mizuki there soon.

She sensed it too. This boy who loved her, or loved who he thought she was, would disappear on those strong legs soon, leaving her with a mind full of wonder and a white ribbon tied around her wrist. There was time enough to say one thing.

"Thank you."

One moment, Nakatsu's red face shot her a brief grin. The next, he was gone.

------------------------

Author's Notes: Hi everyone! It's actually been a while since I posted anything at all. I wonder how all that time passed without my noticing. In any case, this is a kind of… alternative Valentine's/White Day story for Hana Kimi. I like the Valentine's saga from the manga, but I wanted to write one, too… and it came out very different. Anyway, I like Nakatsu SO much. He's my favorite Hana Kimi character… so I ship for his happiness, and Nakatsu's happiness is Nakatsu x Mizuki. That's my explanation… haha. Now that I think about it, it's silly, and maybe a bit pathetic. Oh well. Did you like it? Does anyone else like this pairing? Oh my goodness, I hope so. Oh, and if anyone else knows of a good Nakatsu x Mizuki fic, please point me in that direction. Thanks!


End file.
